The Charm
by Darkgamma
Summary: About Naruto's years at the academy and beyond!
1. Who is he

**Darkgamma reporting! Welcome to my first fanfic. I'll be taking suggestions. If you don't have something good or useful to say, then don't review. **

**I won't be taking crap. Have fun reading! **_**Darkgamma out!**_

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After failing for the second time, Naruto felt pathetic. Most children give up on their ninja future after the second failure at the Ninja Academy. His jumpsuit was bright, his attitude happy but his heart sad and faint.

He was crushed as his clones were a joke, his replacement horrible and his Henge no jutsu awful. As he walked towards his apartment he noticed that Ichiraku ramen stand was full. He just growled and continued down the road.

Once he got home he went to bed to get some rest. His home was chaotic, scrolls scattered around the place. To suppress the pain and sorrow in him he just bit his tong. Blood started to fall onto his closed eyes. He was asleep now, knocked out by the pain.

In the morning he washed his face with water and soap, cleaned it from blood and patched up his wounded tong. To heal his soul he ate breakfast, old ramen and ancient, cold milk. "Third time's the charm…" He said in sorrow and continued eating.

We now see him walking down the street as people stare at him coldly. He wore a giant smile, a fake one you could say. His eyes were cold and closed. He just masked his pain, feeling the cold stares. The sun was setting. "The kami himself hates me." He cursed himself. He sat at Ichiraku ramen only to see new employees that hated him. "What do you want to order, brat?" Asked a black-haired man. "Two miso ramen." The blonde responded. "Two miso ramen, chef!" Yelled the man. He wore a kitchen outfit. "Miso ramen coming up!" Said a familiar, young voice. "Who are you, anyway?" The boy asked. "Serve it, Kayumi." Said the chef as he passed over the ramen. "Kayumi, eh? Whatever…" The teen said as he finished his lunch. It was night.

'_What did I do to deserve this? First exam and now the second… Karma sucks.' _He thought._ 'I'm just a spot that needs cleaning, a monster that needs to be killed.'_

"Wake up! Wake up, kid!" Yelled Kayumi.

"Shut up…" Naruto responded. "What?" Kayumi shouted as he was insulted.

"Shut up, dobe." "Now you little de… brat!" The waiter's blood was starting to boil.

"Shut up, Uchiha-teme…" The blonde continued the as Kayumi realized that the teen wasn't talking to him. "Here's your bill, boy." This snapped the boy out of his thoughts as the waiter didn't insult him like almost everybody else. "How much?" The spiky blonde asked. "One hundred ryo." The chef responded as Naruto opened his wallet. He put a few coins on the table and left, lost in the shadows of the night.

"I'm home." He shouted with a smile and washed his hands. He watched the sunrise throughout the window. "So, it's morning already?" The teen said with a small bit of surprise and happiness in his voice. He then dressed into his sleeping odor, leaving the jumpsuit on the chair.

The blonde now exited his home in his usual jumpsuit. He met with the same looks as always, despise and hate, fear and anger. "This brat…" Everyone kept saying as Naruto took his brush and paint. "He's never taking anything serious!" The boy raised his head and ran off towards the library.

"A little orange here, a little white there!" He went destroying the library from the outside. In a matter of moments he drew himself as a king, in a very horrible manner. He was caught by the library guard who beat him up until the blonde was pink-blue. The teen was then forced to wash his picture and to sort every scroll in the library. He stole a couple of ninjutsu and taijutsu scrolls and smuggled them out.

In his home, on the floor, he opened a blue ninjutsu scroll only to see very complex handsings and various Katon and Fuuton jutsu. He took a deep breath and made a few handsings to try out a Katon jutsu. He blew his breath in hope that it'll work but he only fired a few sparks. He tried over and over again until he made a small flame burst. He then collapsed of chakra exhaustion.

**_-_-_-_-_-_-_**

"I'm worried about Naruto… Most of the volunteers for the academy give up after their second year… But Naruto, he's going to kill himself, literally, of chakra exhaustion." Said a chunin, he was wearing a Leaf headband, he had green pants and blue ninja sandals and he wore a Konoha ninja jacket. He had brown hair and a scar across his nose. "Don't worry." Said a figure as he turned. He was similarly dressed as the chunin. He had red hair and purple eyes.

**_-_-_-_-_-_-_**

It was morning. Naruto woke up and saw a figure in front of him. He then immediately jumped up, made handsings and yelled. "Fireball Jutsu!!" He then blew a little fire towards the person. "Wait boy." The man said. His violet eyes looked into the boy's blue ones.

**_-_-_-_-_-_-_**

**Fun, was it? I think that you know who's this 'violet-eyed' crook is. Or do you?**

**Why is it so obvious? It isn't. Find a difference between this guy and that chunin that talked to Iruka. Please review and make suggestions. Remember what I said: I don't take crap! Pairings not decided, except one: Naruto&Hinata. So remember, it is your call.**


	2. And so it starts

**Darkgamma reporting! Who was that red-haired man? Who is the crook? Why is he after Naruto? Stay tuned: review and read! **_**Darkgamma out!**_

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"Who are you?" Asked the blonde. "It is none of your concern, Naruto." Replied the violet-eyed man. The boy now saw him clearly; he was pale and was wearing a usual chunin outfit, but without a headband. He had strange, red hair and was cold, but his eyes showed his peaceful intentions.

"Why do you strive to become a Hokage? What does it mean to you?" Asked the man as he sat down. Everyone with ears knows that Naruto wanted to be the Hokage, but none neither cared about nor knew why.

"Well, I want to gain everybody's respect, for them to acknowledge me for who I am, not like I'm some sort of beast or demon." The boy responded in pain.

"Do you have someone dear to you? People that are precious to you and you are precious to them?" Asked the man. Naruto then thought about the old man, Iruka and the people from Ichiraku ramen. "Well, yeah." The blonde said.

"And do you know what does it mean to be a Hokage? You need to control your emotions, you fall into eyes too much, you're too bright, and you got to get rid of that fake smile and that attitude." The man now finished as Naruto got hurt a little, emotionally.

"And your days at the academy are going bad, I hear. Take these scrolls and get rid of those jokes you have in your sleeping room."

The man whispered, much to the spiky blonde's surprise. "Jokes? Those are the best scrolls in the Leaf!!!" The boy objected. "There are two types of scrolls far better than the library ones; the Scroll of Sealing and these scrolls." The red-haired man said.

"And what do you know about being Hokage?" The man asked. _'He's the greatest ninja in the world, and… that's it.' _The teen thought. "Right. You know nothing. Ask the Professor about it. Or for you, the old man Hokage." The man said, turning around and leaving.

"Who are you??" Asked the boy as he saw the silhouette disappear into the shadows.

The sun was now invisible. It was midday.

He then opened a scroll only to see a note. "It's a secret, all by itself." "Whoa!" The spiky blonde was amazed. He then studied the ninjutsu scroll and read various philosophies. He absorbed teachings of the greatest ninja in history, even the secret of the father of ninjutsu. "Power lies in the hidden art, art hidden in the shadows of five, the art hiding below the fire, having its weakness thunder."

The boy read the scroll on and on until it was about sundown. "All the secrets of the art of ninja are the secrets of the five. The art of the secrets is the secret of the master. All the shadows of the arts of ninja are the arts of all five. The art of shadows of the ninja is the secret of the master." Naruto repeated until he realized what he was saying. "Secrets of the art of ninja must be ninjutsu and the shadows of the ninja's art must be genjutsu." He explained to himself.

Unknown to him, the very same man that visited him a while back was looking at the young boy's progress. "The art of the secrets of the ninja must be that lost element I read about from before. 'Art hidden in the shadows of five, the art hiding below the fire'?" He asked himself what was the meaning.

We now see the boy going towards Ichiraku ramen facing the same cold glares and sights as before. It was night and stars were shining in the sky.

"Two miso ramen, please." He ordered in a gentle manner as Kayumi just sighed and accepted him. Ichiraku ramen was in a bad state now. "Here you go. Naruto ate up and paid his bill as he ran off towards his home.

Over the next few months he studied the four scrolls the man gave him. He learned various jutsu and then learned how to use them throughout the philosophy scroll. He mastered secret and forbidden taijutsu, knew the most powerful genjutsu and used the strongest ninjutsu ever known to the eyes of ninja. It was late summer and the academy was staring soon. The blonde threw away his old jumpsuit and bought a black T-shirt with an orange swirl on the front, black pants that were to his ankles and black-orange ninja sandals.

"Five-hundred more and I'm done." Naruto conditioned himself. He was in great pain as that he was doing push-ups, sit-ups and laps 'around the academy for the last four hours, non-stop. When he was done doing a series of one-thousand each, he sat down and read the guide to greater stamina from the taijutsu scroll. "That's done… Phew!" The spiky blonde shouted in exhaustion. After a lunch break at Ichiraku he started learning a new fighting style, named the 'Emerald Fist'.

"This is just random… Lotus, Iron Fist, Viper, Serpent, Lion style and the Dragon style just thrown in… There must be some pattern…" The boy said to himself as he scouted the moves, but nothing came up. "That's right… If there isn't any pattern, there is no way to predict the attack. If I attack with an Iron Fist kick and then go with the Viper uppercut halfway through the kick the opponents guard should be shattered…" It was clear to him that this was the perfect style for him.

"Just three more days. I'll ask the old man what does it mean to be a Hokage…" The blonde said as he disappeared into the flood of people.

"Hey brat!" The people insulted him, but Naruto just ignored them.

"Naruto!" Yelled a man. "Huh, Kayumi?" The blonde stopped and walked over to Ichiraku ramen.

"You have free ramen." Said the waiter with joy. "Huh? I don't get it." The blonde was now lost. Free ramen? "It's on me, boy!" Kayumi explained as Naruto's attitude and mood changed into a far better state. "Thanks, and what's with you?" The teen was sinking into the sea of confusion. "Eat up!" The chef came out, he looked a lot like the man that visited Naruto a few months ago. He had red hair but his eyes were sky blue. Unknown to the boy, violet eyes were watching him from a few yards away, the same violet eyes that looked at him all those months ago. "And, what's your name, chef?" The blonde asked. "Fuuma." The chef introduced himself. "You look familiar…"

As usual, the boy went back home and let his dreams absorb him into the shadows. His bed was comfortable and warm.

"Two more days, I better use them good." He was saying as he opened the last part of the philosophy scroll. "When the sun banishes the night, a shadow shall resist the fright." He repeated as he noticed the same pair of violet eyes from a long time ago. "I see you." Said the teen. And then, those eyes vanished like a drop of water in a sea. Naruto was surprised, he evolved his senses. His mind and intelligence have grown just by philosophy.

"All right! Two-hundred laps!!" He went on as he ran around his apartment.

"The scrolls… It's like that man knew exactly how long I would be studying." The blonde said to himself in the middle of the village. He wanted to continue running so around the village one-hundred times was enough to satisfy him.

"Done…" He said as he dropped in the middle of the training area where he was doing exercises. "I have to go back home…" The boy stated as he stood up and left.

The sun was setting as the boy fell asleep.

"One more day!!" He shouted as he jumped out of his dreams as he looked up to see a rising sun. "Time to rest… I changed almost everything about me… My stamina is extremely large, I know various jutsu, I'm smart and serious…" He went on before he stood up and took his black clothes and put them on. "…And I'm still as hated as before." He then ran downstairs and towards the tools shop.

"Five empty scrolls, please!" He said as he got five blue, small scrolls. "Five-hundred ryo." Said the woman in despise. Her black eyes were full of hatred and disgust. Naruto just growled and left the store.

"Now to eat something." The blonde continued walking and went to Ichiraku. "Two miso, Fuuma." He said as he jumped in and the chef started boiling the dish. "Here you go, kid." The red-haired chef passed the ramen to Naruto who ate it up, not leaving a single drop.

He then left a few coins and left leaving his new friends to their routine. It was midday. "I'm gonna ask the old man Hokage what it meant to be the Hokage he is." The spiky blonde said as he ran off to the Hokage's mansion.

_Knock! Knock! Knock! _"Come in!" Said Sarutobi. "Old man, I wanted to really know what it means to be Hokage…" Naruto said as he walked in slowly.

'_What's gotten into him?'_ "Well then, Naruto. Look throughout this window and tell me what you see. Sarutobi started. "I see the village, old man." The boy responded. "That is right, the village. As Hokage it is your duty to handle civilian authorities. Every man, woman and child in the village shall be your responsibility. You do paperwork related to shops, stores, measures and architecture to increase the quality and safety of life in it. And there is military. You get to control every ninja in the village. You get dozens, if not hundreds of missions daily to sort into one of these ranks; D, C, B, A and S ranks. You take the responsibility to, if necessary, send ninja to, so called, 'Suicide' missions and if they die that is your fault. Then there is diplomacy.

You take the responsibility to make peace with those that want war. That is the job of a Hokage." The Professor finished, and Naruto was coldly gazing at him with respect. "The job of a Hokage is hard, I see…" Responded the blonde. "Then, I shall too become Hokage just like you, like the Yondaime Hokage. I shall protect those precious to me, those that I care about." Sarutobi just smiled and laughed. "Then, so you do, Naruto." The blonde then walked off with a smile on his face, a happy, true smile. It was near sundown.

"So, that's what it means to be a Hokage." Naruto said as he fell into his bed. It was a pitch-black night.

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**Darkgamma here! Did I solve any mysteries? Or do these three red-haired people have a difference? Are they brothers? Clones with contact lenses? Mwhahahahaha! Why am I torturing you? That is a secret, all by itself. **_**Darkgamma out!**_


	3. Towards the sun

**Darkgamma here! For all of you asking when is the NaruHina going to start, my guess is in about two chapters, true NaruHina relations. I'm trying not to hurry so wait and see. **_**Darkgamma out!**_

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"What time is it?" The blonde woke up. Birds were singing and the streets were bustling with people. It was around midday. "Zero hour…" He said as he got dressed. The teen took one of his blank scrolls he bought. Then Naruto just ran downstairs and exited his house. He ran past Ichiraku ramen, waving hello to Fuuma and Kayumi as his smile exploded into laughter.

His mind was fixed on one thing; _'This time I'm gonna pass, for sure!'_

People were staring at him, coldly. "What's with him?"

"That brat, what's he up to now?"

The spiky blonde could have sworn to hear curses directed at him. He just ignored them as he slowed down, seeing the commotion in front of him. Shouting broke and it was now silence. Dead silence.

Everyone was looking at… a black-haired boy, about the age of Naruto, wearing a blue T-shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol on his back.

He also had short, white pants, coal-black eyes and blue ninja sandals. "Oh, it's that Uchiha-teme…"

The air filled with killer intent. Naruto then did as he trained to, suppress his emotions and continued along his way.

The Uchiha just growled and walked away.

A couple of hours of walking, the blonde teenager calmed down and headed towards the academy.

This year was going to be the most interesting one. One child from each of the great clans went this year. Also, there were 'civilian' children, sons and daughters of the greatest Shinobi and/or Kunoichi of Konoha, that were participating.

"All right, Inuzuka Kiba?" Iruka asked, waiting for a response. "Here!" Shouted a boy from the back. He had a dark coat, brown, spiky hair, red cheek marks, brown eyes and a white puppy on top of his head. "Good." The chunin responded. "Nara Shikamaru?" "Here…" A lazy, black-haired boy responded with his eyes closed.

He had a white shirt with a cross on his shoulders. He also wore a fish net beneath the shirt. Iruka couldn't see the rest of his clothing as he was half-asleep on the desk. "Haruno Sakura?" The chunin continued. "Here!" Shouted a girl who jumped up. She wore a reddish dress, had long, pink hair and emerald-green eyes. And she also had an unusually big forehead. "Yamanaka Ino?" Iruka continued as he saw a blonde girl, with also long hair, stand up. She had cyan eyes and wore a purple dress.

"Here!" She responded. Iruka continued on for about ten minutes until he heard almost everyone's voice.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" Iruka pronounced, waiting for a response.

But all he heard was silence.

'_I hope that he hasn't given up…' _The chunin said with sorrow as he scouted the classroom to see the blonde.

But all he saw were other children, children that didn't matter to him, not one bit.

"Sorry I'm late, Iruka-sensei…" A boy walked in, his hair blonde and eyes deep blue. But to everyone's surprise, he was looking happy. He wore a black T-shirt with an orange swirl, black pants that were to his ankles and black-orange ninja sandals.

'_Phew… He hadn't given up…' _Iruka sighed and examined the blonde.

All but the Uchiha were staring at him. But Sasuke, he ignored him, he _hated_ this boy.

'_Where to sit?' _The blonde thought as he saw an empty spot right next to Sakura. _'Not the pinkie.' _He turned around and looked at a girl, her raven-blue hair shined and her lavender eyes were beautiful. _'Hinata-chan.' _He thought as he looked into her eyes and approached her.

She started to blush.

"May I sit next to you?" Asked the boy. She blushed so intensely at those words and broke eye-contact.

"Y-yes-s…" The girl responded so gently, so beautifully. _'Snap out of it, moron.' _The blonde mentally shouted as he sat next to the girl, much to everyone's surprise. Had he realized it? He missed a chance to sit next to his crush only to be next to a girl that loved him.

'_He's sitting next to me…!' _Hinata thought, her blush spreading across her body. Her love was sitting next to her!

'_Hm… I know something's gone into her, but what?' _The boy thought as he looked at her beige coat. He was once again charmed by her face, her eyes… _'Stop it, you pervert.'_ He bit himself to get rid of the illusion. But, there was no illusion, no false sights, he was starting to like her.

The bell rang, snapping the teen out of his thoughts. The blonde then stood up and left the academy.

He just wandered the village for the rest of the day. And, there wasn't much to do, anyway. Ichiraku ramen was closed, the streets were empty. It was night.

He went back to his apartment and just fell on the bed as his dreams overpowered him.

"_Come…" A raven said, it's feathers of the deepest blue. "Come… I have something to say to you…" It spoke again as it's angelic voice rang in the ears of the boy. "What, or better said, who are you?" Naruto asked._

"_You know who I am." The bird whispered into the boy's ear. "You have a lovely voice." The blonde said. "Thank you…" He heard. "My name is a translation of a word. And the true name is the name of secrets."_

_The sun was shining and the boy took a step towards the beautiful bird. "You mean, your 'true' name is the name of someone I know? And that someone has secrets?" He asked. "And this dream, you, are the embodiment of the personalities of that person?"_

"_Look __**towards the sun**__." The raven said as it disappeared into a fog._

'_Towards the sun? What is that supposed to mean?' _The spiky blonde woke up and dived into his own thoughts.

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**Darkgamma reporting! For all of you who don't know Japanese **_**Towards the sun=**_**A Japanese word(I won't say which one. That is a secret, all by itself.). That word has serious impact on the story, that dream has impact. So either grab a dictionary or await to see the word in it's Japanese form. (Psst! That word is a part of a name! A **_**sunny **_**name!)**

_**Darkgamma out!**_


	4. Darkness sets

**Darkgamma reporting. Sorry I hadn't been reporting in a while, but I had school business to attend. I hope you like this one and may your wishes and expectations be fulfilled. **_**Darkgamma out!**_

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"Dictionary, dictionary…" The blonde said as he looked over the scrolls he owned.

"Anatomy? No… Acupuncture, Astronomy… Brewing, Botany, Boxing… Culture, Carnivores, Countries… Dyes, Demonology, Drama, Dragons… nothing…" He said as he looked over a library of smuggled scrolls. It was mid-day.

The blonde put on his black clothes and left his home. He ran down the streets and looked at people around him. They weren't terrified of him, they were confused. He waved hello to Fuuma and Kayumi and sprinted towards the academy. He was late, as usual.

"Class begins in five minutes!!" The boy whispered and entered the building. He noticed that his classroom was nearly empty; no one was there, except for a gentle, beautiful silhouette that was looking throughout the window.

"You're beautiful…" The boy said, looking at the girl in front of him. That bluish hair seduced him.

She could feel her heart skipping a beat or two.

'_N-N-Naruto…-kun…?' _She blushed furiously at those words as her light lavender eyes were closing slowly.

"H-Hinata…?" The blonde woke up and caught the girl. He smiled as he felt her getting warmer and warmer; her skin was starting to lighten up as her face was close to that of the boy of her dreams.

Unknown to them somebody was watching this heart-warming moment, someone whose eyes are of the coldest cyan. "Oooh…! That's a sweet moment. First this then dates and then… they kiss!" The spy whispered to herself, hoping that these two get together.

The blonde held Hinata on his shoulder in a rather romantic hug. The girl's heart was pounding faster and faster as she relaxed and enjoyed the moment. He held her for some time, but to the girl it seemed like an eternity, like a dream that was coming true… The boy was getting nervous, as she was so sweet, so pretty, so close to him. "Take good care of yourself, Hinata-_hime..._" He whispered to the lavender-eyed girl who fainted, this time for real. The blonde-haired boy then put her in the corner and sat next to her.

_-_-_-_-_

The sun was setting. Naruto was sitting next to Hinata, who was slowly waking up. "Good morning, sleepy!" He whispered to her with a foxy grin. She just blushed light red and started getting nervous. "W-w-what are you doing here, N-N-Naruto-kun…?" She asked with a soft, angelic voice. "I was with you, all this time… You fainted…" He mentioned as the girl blushed even deeper.

"Why is everybody away?" "I-it's Saturday-y…" She giggled. "Aww…! And I thought there was a quiz today…" He said with a slight tone of disappointment in his voice. "You should go now, they'll get worried…" He whispered into her ear as he hugged her. For a moment they looked like lovers, at least to the Yamanaka standing behind the door. "Oh no… I better go." The blonde Yamanaka ran off.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Those words took the lavender-eyed Hyuuga by storm. Then again, she started falling. The boy caught her and giggled. "Guess not." His eyes turned to a Hyuuga ninja about a year older than him that was spying. "Take her home." Said the blonde, much to the black-haired teen's surprise. He just nodded and in a blink of an eye he took the girl and disappeared into the shadows of the village. Naruto then walked out the classroom and exited the building. Stars hung in the night sky.

"Two miso, Fuuma! This is going to be a _long_ night." He said. Fuuma, understanding what the boy meant, started cooking two big bowls of ramen. The moon was full.

Naruto left Ichiraku ramen and disappeared into the dark night leaving only a few coins behind.

"Home sweet home…!" Said the teen with pride as he entered his home. He then opened one of the scrolls he brought yesterday. Blood came out of a wound on his thumb as he wrote various seals in a crimson color. "Stroke left and a cut right…" He whispered to himself. It was midnight.

_-_-_-_-_-_

And in that way days passed, he went to the academy, aced quizzes and ate at Ichiraku. Days were passing as September was nearing completion.

"There's a test coming up…" Naruto whispered to himself as he ran towards the academy. As always, he was late.

'_He's late again…' _Iruka thought while looking at the sun. "Sorry… I'm… late… Iruka-sensei…" A shivering voice said as he walked in. '_…As usual…' _Naruto walked to Hinata and sat beside her. She smiled and blushed, still remembering the moment when she felt deep in love.

And the boy himself was reddish a bit.

"It's test time! Shuriken throwing and obstacle-" The chunin began but was interrupted by crunching and crushing. "Choji!"

And so, everyone got out of the classroom and into the yard.

"Do your best, looser, so I don't have to worry about beating you." A voice spoke to Naruto. "Oh, Sasuke, mister Duck wants his butt back!" The blonde sent a response that sent every boy laughing. The Uchiha smirked and did what he knew best, ignored the attention. "Stop it or you'll all get F's!" Yelled Iruka as everybody picked up ten shuriken and stood in a line. "Do your best, N-Naruto-k-kun…" A lavender eyed girl whispered to the boy in front of her.

The boy turned around and smiled. "Will do, Hinata-hime." She heard.

"They're still not dating… What's wrong with them?" Sakura and Ino were talking, seemingly about the Hyuuga heiress and the boy she loves.

_Slash!_ Some girl threw her shuriken only to miss the target completely. And as fast as her pride appeared it vanished in the shadows of her sorrow. Ino threw three in the bull's-eye and the rest close. Sakura did the same as the line shortened. Sasuke threw nine dead in the center while the last one was fairly close. This earned him fan girl-sighs from all the girls except the Hyuuga. There were only two left, Naruto and Hinata (P.S. Our favorite couple!). Hinata threw her star-shaped projectiles and saw seven in the bull's-eye. _'Do your best, N-Naruto-k-kun…' _An angelic voice, like that of the raven in his dream, rang in his head. And so he threw, aiming for the target and hoping for the best.

His hits were perfect as all ten shuriken were in the center.

"Good job, Naruto!" A lazy, sleepy boy, Shikamaru, said. "Shika! Your turn!" The blonde responded. "All right, all right…" The Nara said as he picked up shuriken and threw them without regard where they will fly off. And as expected, they scattered and none hit the target, not like the Nara cared.

But unfortunately, one actually hit something… or _someone…_ _A blur was upon his eyes, a black blur. It closed in… And then… nothing…_ It struck Naruto in the neck, knocking him out cold.

_**_-_-_-_-_**_

**Darkgamma here! And so, an unlucky case doomed our character's faith by little.**

**Don't be disappointed, this shuriken was there to evolve the plot, to make room for a little romance. Sorry if I didn't fill your expectations, but here it is… chapter four!**

**(I need at least 2 reviews to continue. Why would I write if nobody reads?) **_**Darkgamma out!**_


	5. As dreams fly away

**Darkgamma reporting! I'm presenting my latest chapter, **_**'As dreams fly away'**_**. Read and review, and remember: 1. While more time passes for a chapter, wait for them. And: 2. Once I start a story/fanfic, I always finish it. So it begins… **_**Darkgamma out!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own not Naruto, but I own Kayumi, Fuuma, the two anonymous red-hairs and other characters that aren't uncle Kishi's.**_

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**-**_**You hate paper, don't you? - **_A voice awoke the blonde. He was in… a sewer? It was dark, shady… Water was to his knees. "W-who are y-you…?" _**-Oh, you're such a lovely little boy. I never imagined you like this. - **_Said the mysterious voice again, this time with a sweet, loving tone. "Where-e am I? What is this place? Where are you?" The boy asked as he took a look around.

_**-Here, Naruto-kun! - **_The feminine voice spoke. A paper bird flew into the teen's eyesight. It was the prettiest thing he ever saw. Unreal, beautiful, lively colors decorated the pigeon-looking masterpiece. It then flew high, near the ceiling.

Naruto saw three types of pipes; green like emeralds, red like rubies and orange like the midday sun. _**-You're unconscious, honey. Welcome to your mind.-**_

"This is my _mind?_ Are you crazy?" Said the teen, he was seemingly disappointed. _**-Well, yeah! Well, actually, no. - **_The bird responded, its colors changing from lighter to darker each second. "Ok, you _are _crazy…" Naruto said sarcastically as he exploded into laughter. _**-Come on, Naruto-kun! I'm not perfect. -**_ "I know…!" He said under his empty breath. "Who are you?" _**-Me? I'm a paper sage, I use **__**our**__** bloodline. - **_Said the bird.

"You're joking? Right? _Our_ bloodline?" Naruto laughed acidly, remembering that he isn't that easily tricked, unfortunately. "And you're not a sage; you're a pigeon in my mind. A fragment of my imagination… right?" At these words the voice laughed, almost like it… she expected that.

_**-See these three pipes? Those are your three types of chakra.- **_

"Isn't chakra a fusion of physical and mental energy? And not some sort of lightshow a crazy, unreal bird claims it to be?"

_**-It may be so with **__**those**__** people. - **_Pointed out the bird in an old-fashioned way, only the way people talked years ago. "Sorry, madam, I don't get the point. _Those people?_" The blonde__asked. _**-Normal people, mister Uzumaki, normal people. - **_She explained. _**-Why do I get a feeling you're not following, Naruto, honey? - **_It…uh… she protested. "First of all, not everybody fights against themselves inside their own minds." The blonde said as he laughed at his situation.

"And second, those pipes may be my veins… wait, you said my _mind?!? _I think this is my chakra system, you pi…uh… madam." _**-Well, you're right, mister Uzumaki. Do you see that point where they fuse? - **_Asked the pigeon-shaped bird. _**-Come with me and I shall explain it to you, Naruto-kun. - **_

The bird kept talking for some time until Naruto chose to break the chain of words. "Sorry, but I don't seem to understand you. That big mixing pot thing is my tenketsu point?" The blonde asked the pigeon.

"I have a feeling I'm lacking behind on your terms, madam." Said the boy with some spared words of respect. He was new to it, after all!

_**-You met the red-haired entity, correct? - **_She asked "Yeah. And what does _Orange_ chakra do?" The blonde asked. _**-Orange chakra is rich with the power to command the refined wood, which is paper, Naruto, honey. - **_The colorful bird continued. "Stop the mysteries and tell me the purpose of the Green chakra." Naruto sharpened his words. _**-I see you don't want to miss a thing. This green sort of chakra, The Plague Bearer, is used as a bloodline force to command the dead. It has two paths, light green, The Void Caller, and the darker one, brown, The Dead Awakener. - **_She explained "It does sound powerful."

The boy started fantasizing about powers of the dead and trickery of paper. _**-**_**Can you hear me? **_**Stop it, Kushi-chan! **_**I have the right to speak with him! **_**- **_It seemed that the bird had some major problems as it was fighting itself. "Kushi-chan? I don't get it. You radiate of chakra, two types. …Orange and… Green?"_**-I'm trying to explain to him the Namikaze power of paper! **_**I do not care! He carries our family name; he should learn the Uzumaki dead summons! **_**But he is of both families a son. **_**And I am the monkey of the Mist! It's my turn!**_** All right, but he still is of my training until he learns the mastery of paper. - **_Naruto was shocked at the sound of those words. _**-**_**Naruto-chan? Can you hear me? Naruto-chan! **_**- **_It asked, its paper shape slowly turning into a spectral, green entity. "Who are you, or you _two?_" Asked the still shocked boy as he still assimilated the words from the argument. _**-**_**Honey, wake up!-**

_-_-_-_

Linked into massive machines and computers, tubes coming in and out of his lungs and neck. His eyes covered with paper decorated by runes and seals, all of them being very complex, even literally impossible to comprehend for anyone below high jonin level. Naruto was in a terrible state. And mysteriously, the eye-seals burned away in a creepy, green flame. "He's awake!" The nurse yelled.

_**Time skip**_

"Are you okay? You got me worried." Asked Shikamaru. "Hell yeah, Shika! I never felt better!" The blonde answered, his hands radiated of some sort of emerald chakra.

"This is so troublesome. First I get the worst grades, not like it doesn't happen often, but then I feel responsible." To this Naruto just smirked. "You should be worried! You almost died then, and you were dying just a few moments ago."

"The doctors sat in awe and watched your wound heal in _minutes_, not days or weeks. Well, goodbye…!" The Nara ended as he walked out of the room. "Although I don't see anything I do see chakra. This may be a side-affect or just my imagination." The blonde added as seemingly he didn't see the Nara leave. He then saw flowers just next to his bed, they were full of chakra. "It was a weird dream, I admit. But to fight against your own self… and for me to have a bloodline is just silly."

But the 'flower' wasn't actually a flower. It was a piece of paper… A letter!

_**_-_-_-_-_**_

_**Darkgamma here! **_**I hope I didn't bore you about the dream drama. As I said in the previous chapter, everything is to evolve the plot, even the plot itself. Be careful, though. This fanfic/story is purely for entertainment purposes. If you find it boring on how slow it goes, it isn't that good for you. And since I change my style over time, reading this to its very end may give you a glimpse of the change(and also some endurance ^-^). **_**Darkgamma out!**_


	6. Reality unfolds

**Darkgamma here! I won't inform you now about what's to come, or even what I think. Words got me. Please read and review. **_**Disclaimer: I own not Naruto, but I own Kayumi, Fuuma, the two anonymous red-hairs and other characters that aren't uncle Kishi's.**_

_**Darkgamma out!**_

**_-_-_-_**

Visitors came and went away, doctors cried why miracles didn't happen to them, patients went in and out but Naruto was kept for some time. His Byakugan-like vision was explored for days until he was released, his eyes then being normal.

Life continued being boring for the blonde for the rest of the month, boring until he met that man.

"I see that you saw the dream of revelations." The man teased him. "No! That was just a mistake! I was in a coma!"

"He he he he! I know, I know. And saw the paper bird and its twin, the spectral raven." The red-haired stranger continued. "How'd you…-"The blonde was cut in the middle of his argument. "When it is about the 'demon'…" The man joked "… words travel pretty fast. Even that you developed a temporary 'Byakugan'. They say that the Hyuga were preparing to kill you in the middle of the night, but rumors are rumors, after all."

"Thanks for believing in me." The boy said as he noticed that the chunin was searching his bag. His violet eyes looked into the bag, searching for something. He then pulled out a massive scroll and gave it to the blue-eyed boy. "I still don't see clearly. Tell me, why do you give me these scrolls? Why am I so special? Why is my life this easy? I have a feeling those scrolls belong to me." Naruto asked. "The ninja must see underneath the underneath. Think of this as a tip: roses are red, emeralds aren't blue, use your chakra to dismantle the glue." The man said as he disappeared in a mysterious way, like he faded into shadows.

Naruto's sight improved a little since the man came. He was clearly pale, unlike the last time he saw him. Then the spiky blonde sat in his chair, solving the puzzle while waiting for his sight to improve. "Glue? What glue? Emeralds? Chakra? Emerald chakra?" He kept asking himself. By the end of the day he saw clearly. "Ah…! This glue!" He touched the beginning of the scroll.

Putting some chakra into it, he hoped for the scroll to open. But that was just that, a hope. Pouring all the chakra of his, he managed to accomplish something. But it didn't open. Only a green skull appeared on the scroll. "Oh you stupid!" The blonde cursed himself. "That wasn't _just a stupid dream_!" He then sat into a lotus position and started meditating. Feeling a chilling force shrouding him, he poured the chakra accumulated into the scroll. The skull then made a screaming gesture and it disappeared, leaving the green scroll open. And there, in front of him stood a vas array of kanji and illustrations. To this he just took a few ramen bowls he had in store and ate them. While he heated the last with Katon he collapsed of chakra exhaustion, leaving the bowl in the sun. It was far from mid-day but the sun was still high in the blue sky. The letter was still next to him.

_**_-_-_-_-_**_

_**Darkgamma here!**_** Sorry for the delay, I'm seriously sick right now. Sorry for this short chapter, too, but at least I wrote it.**


	7. Flight of the Bumblebee

Darkgamma's back in town! Finally I remembered the password. Look back to chapter 5, once I start, _**I FINISH.**_ And sorry for you all who have been waiting to read Chapter 7 of _The Charm. _ Stay tuned to the finest of my writing, this gets better!

_Darkgamma out!_

__-_-_-__

Stars shook gently in the sky. It was night.

The boy was asleep on the table, the cold ramen in front of him shivered slightly in the ceramic bowl. A bitterly cold breeze came from the village.

Winter was knocking on the gates. Another average October night…

It rang shivers through Naruto's spine, waking him up.

On the door was a burnt picture showing Kushina Uzumaki standing on the left and a man on the right, the part where the picture was consumed by fire. A signature below shown their last names, Uzumaki and Namikaze, respectively.

The boy's azure eyes looked at the picture of his parents. At least at his mother.

A beautiful woman holding a blonde child in her arms, whose eyes were closed.

He blinked.

_'Every time I think about them, I get a feeling... I feel like I'm dying...'_

_-_-_-_

"Eh, Kayumi..."

Fuuma's bowls flew to the table. The fresh smell of cold ramen filled the stand.

"What?" "What??"

The chef laughed for a moment, his blue eyes meeting a pair of violet ones from across the street.

"What a fine sight, mate." He responded. After all, it was a view to be reckoned with, a pair of eyes whose colors were not natural.

"Fuuma, how 'bout a bowl of crystal blue?"

"Right on it, _Kagami._"

Shiny, bluish liquid filled a cup. Steam was coming off of it, suggesting that it was hot. "It's going to be a long night, especially if I'm planning to give the child a new scroll pack" He took the cup and evaporated into the night.

_-_-_-_

A shower of gold began to fall down on the village.

The sun rose up from behind the Hokage stone faces letting beams of light fall down and illuminate the houses.

Naruto ran around the village. He met the usual stares of hatred from all over Konoha. It was quiet... Too quiet...

He sat down on a bench to clean his clothes.

_'It's autumn...'_ He smiled.

After a short break he ran off to the Academy. Another day, another class.

_-_-_-_

"Kagami, what are you planning to do?"

"Try not to overdo it. After all, he _is _a boy."

_-_-_-_

Kagami walked in the shadows, moonlight passing by him. Dark thoughts flew through his head; chaotic, bloddy, violent.

He fell to his knees. Holding his head, he screamed out, yet nobody heard him. Like he didn't exist, like he wasn't there, like he was a ghost.

Scared, he crumbled to the ground, angry at himself. Mad at what he did, or better yet, what he didn't do. After all, he revealed the ninja mysteries that should not be known, he changed the course of a boy's life.

His breath froze in the lungs, his eyes turned paper white, his skin redder and redder...

Somebody came up towards Kagami.

Red fingers reached towards this figure and put a letter in its wake. The silhouette picked up the chakra letter and walked away giggling.

The now bloddy-red hands made a few handsings before diminishing into a dull beige with veins visible. Kagami died...

_-_-_-_

The orange sun rose high this morning. Naruto's eyes slowly opened. The dawn was pretty quiet. No birds, no people, no morning breezes that regularly freezes him...

Something's bad. Really, really bad. The blonde stood up and looked around.

He saw the now-opened letter on his table. A few words could be seen. "To you" it read.

"Hm?"

Sitting down, he opened it and began to read.

"Dear Naruto-chan, forgive me. I didn't manage to deliver your final lesson. But that is not what I came to warn you about. A shady organization named Akatsuki has come here to eliminate you. Go to the Hokage's mansion, at the bottom floor is a scroll, the final one, conclusion of my act. May the Ancients help you, and may luck be upon you. My, my, you will need it."

And on the bottom there was no signature, just a small kanji on the lower left corner, moon.

"Whoa! Who's this? Tsuki?"

_-_-_-_

_**Timeskip/5 months**_

_**_**_-_-_-_

Naruto yet again ran through Konoha with weights up to a few hundred pounds. Puberty was getting into him. Even if he wouldn't admit it, he was in love.

She was beautiful like the Orion Belt whispering in the sky. Her eyes were like pupils of lavender, her body curved like an ang-

_"Snap out of it, moron!"_

But there is no escaping this wave. The graduation day was close, and bonds form at this stadium of life.

A leaf fell on his shoulder.

He kept running for about an hour until his legs were burning in pain. He sat on a nearby bench to rest. He skipped school the last few days as he had no time for that pathetic excuse for learning.

The boy carried a greenish scroll all the time, peeking for a moment or two sometimes.

Deciding to read it for the first time, he opened it. Ignoring boredom and ignorance he managed to read a column of kanji.

That wasn't smart to do.

Drops of blood were quite fresh, like somebody read this recently.

Impossible! Naruto had it for months, closed, even barely touched.

Something's bad happening...

He sat there, confused, staring at the crimson stains in front of him. They slowly dried, leaving a blight on this once-magnificent scribe's work of art.

Then he stood up and resumed running. Troubling to stand, he thought about the scar on his antique.

But this attitude didn't last for long. He went back to daydreaming after a moment or two.

_-_-_-_

Dark's notes: I screwed my beta and continued freelancing so you will see style changes.

Dark's excuse: Sorry for wait, no excuses.

And Darkgamma reporting, Flight of the Bumblebee is up, I guess. Try to find out the fantasy's identity. Fairly easy, lads and lasses. Good luck, though!


End file.
